How to create a culture of collaboration: Collaborative Inquiry 1 of 3

Collaborative Inquiry When done right, collaborative inquiry(CI) engages participants in deep reflection on, and discussion about evidence and artifacts relating to the organization's goals and the individual's practice. CI participants challenge each others' practice and points of view in pursuit of positive change. Calling a collection of people a, "collaborative inquiry group" however does not […]

Understanding and Creating Professional Learning Networks (Video Abstract)

This video abstract on developing professional learning networks was created as part of my participation in the graduate course Learning Technologies & Organizations at the George Washington University. Hanraets, I., Hulsebosch, J., & de Laat, M. (2011). Experiences of pioneers facilitating teacher networks for professional development. Educational Media International, 48(2), 85-99. doi:10.1080/09523987.2011.576513 O'Brien, M., Varga-Atkins, […]

How on Earth do you know that?!

Gathered around the NY Times Crossword every morning in the staff room before heading to class we would collectively work our way through the entire puzzle. Few of us could solve Thursday or Friday’s puzzles on our own, but together we were pretty successful. One colleague was famous for knowing some of the most obscure […]

What is #EdTech and Why Integrate? A Discussion Question.

"Post a brief paragraph with your definition of educational technology and your thoughts about why we should integrate technology into learning. " This discussion question was posed in a class I'm taking on Educational Media and Technology. Here is my response. How would you approach this? Educational technologies include both objects and strategies when they […]

PLNs should include the teacher next door

PLN Connections We talk a lot on Twitter and in each other's blogs about the value of connectedness. Our  PLNs are those folks who share amazing ideas, engage in research, think passionately about practice, and care deeply for students. I love my mornings with a hot cup of coffee, Twitter, and my RSS feed on […]

Happy Cake Day, Milestomes.com

December 14, 2011 Milestomes.com was born with the blogpost "How Grades Change Conversations About Assessment & Achievement" I wanted to start blogging partly in fulfillment of my employer's requirement to submit an annual statement of professional growth, but mostly because I started Tweeting and reading other blogs. I wanted to be part of the conversation and the professional dialogue. […]

Index of Student Focused Assessment Series

Reflection & Self-evaluation forms for Student Focused Assessment Model (pt7)

Reflection & Self-Evaluation Forms This is a companion to the six articles on the assessment and reporting practice used at my school for the past 15 years or so. While things have evolved over time, and recent changes to our provincial reporting requirements are challenging the way we do things, this is a snapshot of […]

Student-Led Conferences in Student Focused Assessment Series (pt 5)

This is the sixth of six articles on the assessment and reporting practice used at my school for the past 15 years This post explores student-led conferences. While things have evolved over time, and recent changes to our provincial reporting requirements are challenging the way we do things, this is a snapshot of the ideal, […]

Teachers and Shrodinger's Cat: Connected Educators on Social Media

If Shrodinger's cat would meow, we'd know whether it is alive or dead. If teachers talked about what they are doing in the classrooms... A report from the box would be helpful for everyone. Many connected educators are working to get out of the box, open the doors, tear down the walls, get out of the building, virtually and […]

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